- Celebrating Pride Month: The Role of Pharmacy Professionals in Supporting 2SLGBTQ+ Communities
- Now Available: 2026–2028 Mandatory Professional Development
- Continuing Competency Matters – Feedback Reminder
- Consultation on a New Virtual Care Practice Direction and Changes to the Prescribing Practice Direction Reminder
- Legislative Updates
- Switching from Brand to Generic Drugs not on Interchangeability Formulary
- Education Sessions Related to Draft NAPRA Documents
- Professional Development Opportunities & Upcoming Events
Celebrating Pride Month: The Role of Pharmacy Professionals in Supporting 2SLGBTQ+ Communities
The College of Pharmacists of Manitoba (CPhM) celebrates Pride Month and recognizes it is a month of celebration of diversity and inclusion, while also a reminder of the ongoing efforts needed to ensure equitable healthcare for all.
Pharmacy professionals are often the first point of contact for individuals seeking healthcare advice and services, uniquely positioned to foster environments of acceptance, understanding, and respect. By embracing inclusive practices, creating a welcoming environment, and committing to ongoing learning, we can help reduce barriers to care, and ensure that every person is treated with dignity, respect and compassion.
There are multiple actions members of the public and pharmacy professionals alike can take during Pride Month, including:
- Enhancing your knowledge: To further enhance your knowledge and skills in providing inclusive care, we encourage you to take advantage of the following learning activities:
- Providing 2SLGBTQIA+ Inclusive Care at Your Pharmacy
- CPhM 2025 Mandatory Professional Development Webinar- Advancing Equity in Pharmacy: Supporting Gender Diversity and 2SLGBTQ+ Patients
- Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Cultural Safety Module
- CPhA’s Resource Round-up: 2SLGBTQI+ patient health
- Shared Health Manitoba – Pronouns, 2SLGBTQQIA+ & Health Care Leading Practice Guide
- Creating a welcoming environment:
- Display 2SLGBTQ+ inclusive signs and symbols in your pharmacy to signal that it is a safe space.
- Ensure that all staff use inclusive language and respect patients’ preferred names and pronouns. Please refer to the CPhM and Rainbow Resource Centre Patient Profiles Terminology document for more information on appropriate terminology and the CPhM resource document on providing care to transgender and gender diverse persons.
- Resources:
- Canadian Pharmacists Association – 10 Actions for creating an inclusive pharmacy space
- Canadian Healthcare Network – What does it mean to be a 2SLGBTQI+ friendly pharmacy? (Login or create a free Canadian Healthcare Network account to access)
Pharmacy professionals play a vital role in promoting and delivering inclusive care. By educating ourselves, creating welcoming environments, advocating for health equity, engaging with communities and providing compassionate and inclusive care to all individuals regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, we can help build a more inclusive and equitable healthcare system.
Now Available: 2026–2028 Mandatory Professional Development
The College of Pharmacists of Manitoba (CPhM) Council approved communication as the theme for the mandatory learning activity for all pharmacy professionals that will span the 2026 and 2027 practice years.
Effective communication is vital to ensure safe, respectful, and patient-centred care. It shapes trust, reduces misunderstandings, and supports better outcomes for both patients and pharmacy professionals. As healthcare grows more complex, the ability to communicate clearly, empathetically, and with cultural awareness has become an essential skill.
“Effective Communication in Pharmacy Practice” is a prerecorded series of seven video modules that examine key themes and topics influencing communication in pharmacy practice.
To access the video modules, please login to your Registrant Portal and click the following link: https://cphm.alinityapp.com/Client/PersonGroup/OpenDoc/1000073?ts=20251008094318
This learning activity spans two practice years. All pharmacists and pharmacy technicians must view all seven videos by October 31, 2027.
For any inquiries, please reach out to profdevelopment@cphm.ca.
Continuing Competency Matters – Feedback Reminder
The purpose of Continuing Competency Programs (CCP) is to give the public confidence that healthcare professionals maintain the knowledge, skills and competence required to practice safely and effectively throughout their careers. To achieve this, numerous professions require their members to pass assessments on a regular basis.
On May 20, 2026, the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba (CPhM) hosted the first information webinar for the CCP Project. This webinar was designed to provide information to pharmacy professionals regarding the changes being considered to the CCP, to answer registrant’s questions regarding the proposed changes, and to obtain registrant’s feedback via a follow-up survey. For those who could not attend the webinar, the recording and associated supporting resources are available through the Registrant Portal, via the announcement section.
As a reminder, all participants have been invited to complete a survey after watching the live or recorded webinar. Survey access is available upon completion of the webinar and will remain open until Sunday, June 7, 2026.
If you have any questions regarding the webinar or the CCP, please email info@cphm.ca.
Consultation on a New Virtual Care Practice Direction and Changes to the Prescribing Practice Direction Reminder
The College of Pharmacists of Manitoba (CPhM) is currently seeking your feedback on a proposed new Virtual Care Practice Direction and amendments to the existing Prescribing Practice Direction. As part of its commitment to transparency and accountability, CPhM welcomes feedback in the consultation, concluding on June 21, 2026.
To participate, please explore the detailed documents and rationale for the proposed changes on the dedicated Consultation webpage.
We encourage you to review the proposed changes and provide your feedback and comments via https://forms.office.com/r/uSCKu3ANY3 before the June 21, 2026, deadline.
Legislative Updates
Amendments to The Pharmaceutical Act to Allow Therapeutic Substitution by Pharmacists
On June 1, 2026, the Manitoba government passed The Pharmaceutical Amendment, Regulated Health Professions Amendment and Public Health Amendment Act. The legislative amendments to The Pharmaceutical Act (the Act) will authorize a pharmacist to prescribe a substitute drug if it has the same therapeutic effect as a drug originally prescribed by another health care practitioner. The health care practitioner that issued the original prescription or the patient may instruct a pharmacist not to make a therapeutic substitution.
Regulatory amendments are also required before these legislative amendments take effect. Therapeutic substitution will only be permitted in accordance with the regulations. The College of Pharmacists of Manitoba (CPhM) is working with government to draft regulatory amendments to the Pharmaceutical Regulation, M.R. 185/2013. These will take effect on a date to be determined by government. Pharmacy professionals must continue to practice within the current scope of practice at this time. Please stay tuned for upcoming consultations on these regulatory amendments.
Hormonal Contraception Prescribing Training Now Available
As pharmacy professionals are aware, CPhM has been working with government on amendments to the Pharmaceutical Regulation that will allow pharmacists to prescribe and administer specific forms of hormonal contraception.
While prescribing and administering drugs for hormonal contraception has not yet been implemented in Manitoba, pharmacists can now complete the required training in anticipation of these amendments taking effect. Please see the Prescribing Hormonal Contraceptives | College of Pharmacists of Manitoba webpage for access to the Hormonal Contraception Independent Study Program for Manitoba Pharmacists. Pharmacists who plan to administer hormonal contraceptives by injection must also have injection authorization from CPhM.
CPhM continues to engage with government to determine when the changes to the Pharmaceutical Regulations will come into effect. Until such time, pharmacists are encouraged to complete the required training, but authorization for this expanded scope will not be granted until the Government of Manitoba has brought amendments into force. CPhM will provide further updates as they become available.
Switching from Brand to Generic Drugs not on Interchangeability Formulary
The College of Pharmacists of Manitoba (CPhM) has been receiving questions regarding switching patients from brand to generic drugs that are not yet deemed interchangeable on the Manitoba Drug Interchangeability Formulary. Pharmacists have been inquiring about whether this is acceptable under their authority to perform prescription adaptations.
Because generic substitution and interchangeability is specifically contemplated in the context of Part 9 of The Pharmaceutical Act (the Act), (Interchangeable Pharmaceutical Products), it is not an adaptation but rather must follow the applicable sections of the Act.
Pharmacists are reminded that section 78 of the Act states: “No dispenser shall, in dispensing a drug pursuant to a prescription, substitute one drug for another, or one brand of drug for another, without the consent of the practitioner, or except as allowed under this Part.
This suggests there are only two ways in which a pharmacist would be permitted to substitute one brand of drug for another:
- If it is allowed “under this Part”, meaning it is on the Manitoba Drug Interchangeability Formulary, or
- The practitioner has consented to substitution.
Therefore, switching a patient from a brand name of a drug to a generic, which is not currently on the Manitoba Drug Interchangeability Formulary, would not be an adaptation. However, it would be permitted if the practitioner consents (e.g. practitioner writes “generic substitutions allowed” on the prescription). In the absence of such consent, pharmacists must reach out to the prescriber to obtain their consent to dispense the generic instead of brand name drug.
Education Sessions Related to Draft NAPRA Documents
The National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) has become aware of various organizations offering education sessions related to the NAPRA draft documents, Model Document for Pharmacy Regulatory Authority Use – Non-sterile Compounding Standards and Model Document for Pharmacy Regulatory Authority Use – Sterile Compounding Standards.
These documents are in draft form, released for a public consultation in early 2026, and are subject to change. NAPRA has noted that education on the draft compounding documents should not be delivered. Pharmacy professionals who encounter promotional materials or those who attend an education session related to these documents should keep in mind that these two documents are currently in their draft stage, are subject to change, and may differ by province once implemented.
If pharmacy professionals do encounter promotional material or attend an educational sessional related to the draft documents, or for more information, please visit: Education Sessions Related to Draft NAPRA Documents – NAPRA
Professional Development Opportunities & Upcoming Events
2026 – 2028 Mandatory Professional Development – Effective Communication in Pharmacy Practice
Optimizing Prescription Writing: Essentials and Updates in 30 Minutes
- Click here to access the prerecorded webinar
- 1.0 CEU
University of Manitoba College of Pharmacy’s Essentials in Advanced Patient Care for Pharmacists Micro-Certificate Program
Interested pharmacists can visit the program website for detailed information and to begin the application process. For further inquiries, please email PharmacyPD@umanitoba.ca.